All natural systems tend to seek a balance point: yin balances yang, water seeks it own level. The chakras, being sensitive energy systems, vigorously and continually seek balance. In opposition to this, the resistances of ego and the locked down defensive nature of our karmic patterns tend to push the chakra systems to their polar extremes. Although one can keep a chakra system locked in one extreme through sheer force of will or subconscious fixation, the usual natural flow is to endeavor on some level, consciously or subconsciously, to balance an extreme fixation with its opposite. This can result in either coming into a harmonious balance, or in great dramatic swings, depending on how consciously we facilitate the balancing and the nature of our Intention in doing so.

By way of analogy, let’s illustrate this principle through the nutritional paradigm of macrobiotics. A healthy diet will be realized by choosing foods from the balanced midpoint of yin and yang.

However, if we are ingesting food or substances from the extremes, there is a tendency for our bodies to seek balance through the ingestion of the opposite extreme. For example, if you’re sitting at a bar and eating salted nuts and goldfish, eventually you will desire a high carbohydrate beer or a sweet cocktail. Sugary, yin carbohydrates and alcohol will tend to counteract the yang salt.

The more extreme the pendulum swings, the more qi that is required and consumed to accomplish the illusion of balance through these dramatic shifts. Not only is vitality consumed, but physical and psychic instability results. The thrashing between severe opposites creates drama and perhaps the venting of psychic “pressure”, but can never lead to harmonious balance as long as the radical swings are in play. A diet of salt, alcohol and sugar will never be conducive to health. Insistence on extreme karmic fixations and their attendant chakric imbalances can never result in Awakening.

The entire universe is based on the balance of polar opposites, you can think of this in terms of the physics of matter: protons and electrons, matter and antimatter, perhaps even in the different expressions of matter: waves and particles.

In the macro-world we can see the dualistic cycles of nature; night and day, summer and winter, earth and sky, while in the Tantric paradigm the dualities of Shiva and Shakti, male and female can be united through the ritual performance of Yab Yum in Maithuna. Vedic Hinduism sees Brahma as the force of creation and Shiva as the destructive agent of change. Vishnu and his many incarnations and aspects brings the balance of preservation. In religious and moral dualism philosophies, there tend to be judgments and dogma about the polar opposites of good and evil, and the physical and spiritual worlds. Taoism considers the Ten Thousand Things as being generated through the principals of yin (passive- receptive) and yang (active) with the perfectly balanced unity represented by T’ai Chi: the Supreme Ultimate complement.

The Taoist Model

Taoism looks at the world as a blend of black and white opposites yielding infinite shades of grey, of balance and duality. As expressed by the I Ching, the basic 2 lines, one yin, one yang, can be combined in 8 kua (gua) or trigrams) These 8 basic combinations themselves can be combined into 64 hexagrams consisting of a total of 384 lines: 192 yin lines and 192 yang lines. The relationship and juxtaposition of these lines create the infinite and subtle dance of creation: the balance and flow of Tao.

The yin and yang (T’ai Chi) symbol represents the philosophy of balance, where opposites co-exist in harmony and balance and transmute into each other. Taoism states that within every independent polarity lies a seed of its opposite. In the yin-yang symbol there is a seed of yin in the yang half and a seed of yang in the yin half. This symbolizes how the opposites are woven together as different aspects of the Tao, the Supreme Ultimate.

Because all polarities are manifestations of the unity of Tao, they not truly independent manifestations, but rather are expressions of the same unified energy within all of nature. What we perceive as the separate principles of yin and yang are actually different views of the same underlying unity. Think of a pot of boiling soup. Bubbles float up to the surface where they express themselves as distinct and unique bubble-entities. Yet they are composed of soup, the same as the soup in the pot underlying the bubbling surface. Bubbles and soup, yin and yang: two expressions of the same thing.

This complementary blending of the yin-yang dualism can be seen as a kind of feedback loop where balance and harmony are created by the exchange and interaction of complementary energies. The balance achieved is a kind of third state, a kind of homeostasis or continually active process of balance.

T’ai Chi practitioners know that they experience better overall health, but what are the mechanisms involved?Dr. Peter Wayne, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School is inclined to believe that movement, breathing, attention, visualization, and rich psychosocial interactions, make Tai Chi a powerful, multidimensional tool for improvingone’s health.*

According to a recently published article in Asian Fortune Magazine, T’ai Chi can be a powerful force for improving the functioning of your immune system.** Tai Chi can create more efficient, deeper breathing and better blood circulation, allowing antibodies and cellular components of the immune system to better reach marauding pathogens and neutralize them.

ShinglesThe University of California – Los Angeles conducted a research study that found that 25 weeks of consistent T’ai Chi practice improved immune response to the shingles virus compared to people who received shingles vaccinations but did not practice Tai Chi.When Tai Chi practice was combined with vaccination, the seniors’ immune response was twice as high as vaccination alone.*** This level of immune response would be comparable to a person thirty years younger, thus T’ai Chi can lead to a kind of “re-youthing” effect.

Improving T Cell Function and WBC Counts Chang Kung University in Taiwan found that the regular practice of Tai Chi Chuan enhances T cells function in the immune system. This is of particular importance to the T cell function of patients with type 2 diabetes.****The Chinese Culture University in Taiwan found that Tai Chi Chuan helped increase circulating myeloid dendritic cells, whose main function is to process antigens (bacteria, viruses, etc.) and help the T cells of the immune system to recognize the invaders.They kind of “out” the invaders so the T Cells can find and attack them. The researchers also noted that “white blood cell (WBC) count in the entire TCC group was greater than that of the controls.”*****

Preserving DNA Integrity A study at the University of Kebangsaan in Malaysia suggests that the regular practice of t’ai chi chuan can reduce damage to one’s DNA. 35 adults over the age of 45 who had practiced tai chi at least 7 years were compared to 35 individuals who did not practice T’ai Chi The individuals practicing T’ai chi had increased levels of normal DNA and lesser levels of damaged DNA compared to the control group who did not practice T’ai Chi.******

The weak can overpower the strong; the flexible can overcome the rigid, the whole world can perceive this, but does not put it into practice. Tao Te Ching – Lao Tze

Happy 4712!
It’s January 31, 2014, the beginning Chinese Lunar New Year: The Year of the Horse. The horse is part of a 12-year-cycle of animals that create the Chinese zodiac. These interact with the five elements: wood, metal, fire, water, and earth. 2014 is the year of the wood horse, 2013 was the year of the water snake.

Myth has it that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the day of the Chinese New Year. Twelve of the animals attended, and the Buddha honored them by naming a year after each. He decreed that people born in each of the animal’s year would have that animal’s traits. Horse born people are cheerful, good with money, perceptive, witty, talented and good with their hands.

This form of Udiyama (Uddiyama, uddiyana) can be done after one has toned the abdominals enough that there is some control over the isolation of the abdominal groups. Nauli, aka Nauli Kriya or abdominal rolling, is a deep circular movement of the abdominal muscles. Nauli is a classic exercise of Hatha and Kriya Yoga but is not often taught these days. Usually represented as cleansing, massaging, and stimulating to the abdominals and digestive organs, it also has an energetically stimulating effect on Manipura, the Tan T’ien, and the solar Plexus – all aspects of the belly chakras. In terms of Karma Burning, it circulates qi and intention in a physical manner, much like the practices involving the Kali Yantra do psychically.

Nauli can be a moderately difficult exercise for many but can be mastered, or at least performed in some of its aspects, if one perseveres in practicing. It is not necessary to be physically perfect in practicing Nauli, any approximation of the movement will have some benefit physically and karmically. Many photos of Nauli show yogis so skinny that their muscles squeak when they move and you can plainly see the abdominals being moved side to side. Kinda cool. Except for that annoying squeak.

Nelson Mandela spent over 27 years of his life in a horrendous prison, yet he did not allow it to embitter his spirit. During that era many of Mandela’s colleagues were arrested, beaten, even murdered by the state.

In a letter published in his book Conversations with Myself, he wrote to his wife, Winnie Mandela, who had just been imprisoned in Kroonstad Prison, saying “Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others – qualities which are within easy reach of every soul – are the foundations of one’s spiritual life.

Development in matters of this nature is inconceivable without serious introspection, without knowing yourself, your weaknesses and mistakes. At least, if for nothing else, the cell gives you the opportunity to look daily into your entire conduct, to overcome the bad and develop whatever is good in you. Regular meditation, say about 15 minutes a day before you turn in, can be very fruitful in this regard. You may find it difficult at first to pinpoint the negative features in your life, but the 10th attempt may yield rich rewards. Never forget that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.”

Furthermore he speaks of balancing the external world with mastering the Self and the power of love: “The cell is an ideal place to learn to know yourself, to search realistically and regularly the process of your own mind and feelings. In judging our progress as individuals we tend to concentrate on external factors such as one’s social position, influence and popularity, wealth and standard of education. These are, of course, important in measuring one’s success in material matters and it is perfectly understandable if many people exert themselves mainly to achieve all these. But internal factors may be even more crucial in assessing one’s development as a human being.

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite.”

The Cross activates the first and second chakras. Issues of survival and anxiety, sadness, pain and pleasure may be revealed. Do the mantra HOO or OO while performing the Energy Pump. The mantra should be forceful. You can use tracks 1 and 2 to help. Alternatively, you can use the Chakra Breathing music for this as this may be more stimulating. Using a tennis ball and doing pelvic rocking will intensify the activation.

The Triangle raises qi from the first two chakras to the third.Issues of personal power, control, and approval may surface. Vibrate the belly with the mantra O and use the appropriate Chakra Sounds or Breathing track. You can use Udiyama or the Bated Breath technique while expelling the breath with the abdominals and the mantra.If you turn the apex of the triangle to point downward, it becomes the Kali Yantra and the energy that arises from the lower chakras will be recycled back to them to deepen the process of cleansing.

Using the symbol contemplation meditation cleanses the issues of the lower chakras while activating Witness Consciousness.This must be done daily to have any effect. The symbols must be done in order: first the circle, then the cross, finally, the triangle. Endeavor to feel the symbols while maintaining Witness Consciousness. Allow whatever comes up to express itself, don’t try to suppress anything, just Witness whatever you are experiencing.Inhale deeply and draw the symbol into the area of the body that it corresponds with.If you wish, you can sit with a tennis ball on your perineum to prevent the downward loss of qi.

The three Pythagorean symbols are said to have originated with the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras (circa 600 – 570 BC) and may have some relation to certain symbols associated with the Rosicrucian and Freemason orders.

Pythagoras created a secret school or brotherhood of men and women that was a sort of monastery based upon his spiritual teachings. Potential students had a probationary period in which their ability to maintain silence was tested, as well as their general character and intellect. Those who were initiated into the movement established a select brotherhood for the purpose of pursuing the secret religious and ascetic practices he developed. These followers were called Esoterici. There was an inner circle known as "mathematikoi: (learners) and an outer circle called "akousmatikoi" (listeners).

In the Pythagorean School there were persistent stories of secret symbols and ascetic practices.*It was thought that he had his disciples practice these secret symbol contemplations daily for a number of years to purify their psyches.

"The teachings of Pythagoras indicate that he was thoroughly conversant with the precepts of Oriental and Occidental esotericism. He traveled among the Jews and was instructed by the Rabbins concerning the secret traditions of Moses, the lawgiver of Israel. Later the School of the Essenes was conducted chiefly for the purpose of interpreting the Pythagorean symbols. Pythagoras was initiated into the Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chaldean Mysteries.Although it is believed by some that he was a disciple of Zoroaster, it is doubtful whether his instructor of that name was the God-man now revered by the Parsees. While accounts of his travels differ, historians agree that he visited many countries and studied at the feet of many masters."**

Apparently Pythagoras subscribed to the laws of karma and manifestation: "All men know what they want, but few know what they need. Pythagoras warned his disciples that when they prayed they should not pray for themselves; that when they asked things of the gods they should not ask things for themselves, because no man knows what is good for him and it is for this reason undesirable to ask for things which, if obtained, would only prove to be injurious."**